House Passes Legislation to Repeal the Death Tax
House of Representatives Votes to Block OSHA’s Proposed Ergonomics Regulations
Drinking Alcohol is Recommended, or Is It?
Ohio Passes a Cut in Death Tax
College Drinking Down, Alcohol Arrests Up
NBWA Presents its Latest Compensation & Benefits Study
Professional Baseball Team and Beer Industry Team-Up to Promote Responsible Consumption of Beer
Labor Expert says OSHA’s Ergonomics Regulations are Based on “Junk Science”
NBWA’s 63rd Annual Convention will take place this year in one of the most exciting cities in America. New Orleans, Louisiana, home to Mardi Gras, crawdads, beaded necklaces and Bourbon Street, will be this year’s venue for NBWA’s Annual Convention.
The Convention will take place September 17-20, 2000, at the New Orleans Marriott, which is within walking distance of all of the city’s hot spots, including Bourbon Street, Harrah’s Casino and the New Orleans Riverwalk.
Along with the excitement that just being in New Orleans brings, the Convention also will have many exciting moments. This year’s Annual Convention has an outstanding line up of speakers and important educational seminars, and will give NBWA members the chance to network with other wholesalers and their supplier partners.
Included among the many educational and exciting speakers will be NBWA’s keynote speaker, P.J. O’Rourke, foreign affairs editor for Rolling Stone magazine, and brewery speakers, August Busch III, chairman of the board and president of Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., and Michael Foley, president and CEO of Heineken USA.
P.J. O’Rourke has been called the funniest writer in America by both Time and The Wall Street Journal. O’Rourke’s most recent book, Eat the Rich takes a satirical look at the confusing world of economics. In dealing with both the inner workings of Washington or the ever-changing global economy, O’Rourke has proven himself to be the best guide an audience can find on both national and world affairs.
August Busch III commands the $13.7 billion, St. Louis based, Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., the world’s largest brewing organization. During Busch’s 25 years of leadership at Anheuser-Busch, he has earned the distinction of being one of the most effective executives in American industry. Busch has been named one of America’s “Most Admired CEOs” by Industry Week and one of the nations top CEOs by Business Week.
NBWA’s 63rd Annual Convention stands to be one of the most enlightening and educational programs NBWA has ever produced. Convention brochures and registration forms should be arriving in your mailboxes any day. Don’t delay, register for this exciting event today!
House Passes Legislation to Repeal the Death Tax
On Friday, June 9, the House of Representatives passed by a vote of 279 to 136 legislation to repeal the death tax. As beer wholesalers are family-owned businesses, this is a very important issue for NBWA members. H.R. 8, the “Death Tax Elimination Act,” sponsored by Representatives Jennifer Dunn (WA-8) and John Tanner (TN-8), would gradually eliminate the death tax over a 10-year period. Sixty-five Democrats joined a majority of Republicans in passing the bill.
The bill now moves to the Senate for legislative action. President Clinton has also signaled he will veto any death tax repeal legislation. However, if and when the Senate takes up the legislation, the increasing number of Democrats supporting this effort will hopefully influence the president to alter his view.
Working with the coalition, “Americans Against Unfair Family Taxation” (AAUFT), NBWA has been lobbying House members on this issue, and running radio ads in the congressional districts of undecided members. Now the coalition’s focus will shift to the Senate. NBWA will keep you updated on further developments as they occur.
House of Representatives Votes to Block OSHA’s Proposed Ergonomics Regulations
On Wednesday, May 24, 2000, a House of Representatives panel voted to keep the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from spending any money on finalizing its proposed ergonomics rules. The amendment, sponsored by Representative Anne Northup (KY-3), would block OSHA from using any funds to “promulgate, issue, implement, administer or enforce” the proposed ergonomics standards. According to Northup, “The more people read these regulations, the easier it is to find support for blocking them.”
OSHA was dealt its second legislative setback on Thursday, June 8, when the full House defeated by
220 – 203, an attempt by Representative Jim Traficant (OH-17) to strip the Northup amendment during debate on the Labor/HHS Appropriations bill.
These votes are a temporary victory for wholesalers and small businesses, the majority of which are opposed to these regulations. The bill now has to be approved by the Senate and signed by President Clinton. According to Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, who said the vote was “unacceptable,” the White House has vowed to veto the spending bill if it contains this amendment.
NBWA is taking every possible action to make sure that the proposed ergonomics regulations don’t go into effect.
USDA Releases Dietary Guidelines
for Americans
Drinking Alcohol is Recommended, or Is It?
For the first time ever, alcohol has been included as part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The headline for the alcohol section is, “If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.”
The guidelines recommend limiting alcohol intake to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men, and advocates that you “drink alcoholic beverages sensibly and in moderation.”
According to the guidelines, the health benefits gained from drinking in moderation are a “lower risk for coronary heart disease, mainly among men over age 45 and women over age 55.”
Naming alcohol in the Dietary Guidelines did not keep the USDA from making negative comments about alcohol. Overall, the alcohol section of the USDA guidelines has an overwhelmingly negative tone.
Numerous studies continue to show the positive health benefits of beer and other licensed beverages. Although the USDA has finally come around and listed alcohol as an item which has significant health benefits, it did everything in its power to discourage people from consuming licensed beverages.
Ohio Passes a Cut in Death Tax
In the June 5, 2000, issue of Beer Perspectives, NBWA printed an article by Scott Doll, president of Western Iowa Wine, asking the government to eliminate the estate tax. Now the U.S. House of Representatives has voted on that very issue and Ohio has passed a cut in the state’s inheritance tax.
Ohio Governor Bob Taft is expected to sign a bill that would reduce the estate tax by $82.6 million. The bill would make estates worth $200,000 or less exempt from state taxes and in 2002 estates worth $383,333 would be exempt from state taxes. Currently, estates worth $25,000 or less are exempt. This new measure would make about 78 percent of all estates in Ohio exempt from state taxes.
The measure also protects family farms and businesses from taxation as long as they are passed on to family members.
Writing letters to the editor, op-ed articles and press releases help to sway public opinion and get legislators to vote in favor of issues important to beer wholesalers. NBWA encourages all of its members to submit these items to their local papers.
To the Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association (MBWA). NBWA would like to congratulate MBWA for winning the Midwest Society of Association Executives President’s Award. This award recognizes community-based association programs that reach out to the entire Midwest. MBWA won for its “Showing We CARE” program.
Congratulations MBWA!
College Drinking Down, Alcohol Arrests Up
While UCLA and the American Council on Education have reported that the percentage of college freshmen who drink is at an all time low, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that in 1998 alcohol arrests on college campuses increased by 24.3 percent.
Campus police as well as NBWA attribute the increased alcohol arrests not to increased consumption of alcohol but to both new laws concerning licensed beverages and increased enforcement of existing alcohol laws.
Many experts attribute the increase in alcohol arrests to new crime reporting guidelines passed by Congress in 1998, which require colleges to report crimes that take place just off campus.
Beer wholesalers are committed to promoting responsible consumption of alcohol and it is working. Today, there are 190,000 fewer college freshmen drinkers than there were in 1990 and 760,000 less than in 1982. The percentage of college freshmen who say they drink beer is at its lowest level since they began keeping records in 1966, down 11 percent since 1990 and 31 percent since 1982.
NBWA will continue to promote responsible consumption of alcohol to ensure that these statistics continue to decrease.
NBWA Presents its Latest Compensation & Benefits Study
The 2000 edition of NBWA’s Compensation & Benefits Study (CBS) is now available for purchase by NBWA members. This publication is an important analytical tool for wholesalers who wish to easily compare their compensation levels and benefits policies to similar wholesalers. With a total of 459 wholesaler participants, the study represents the most complete, accurate and up-to-date compensation information for the beer distribution industry available.
NBWA’s Conventions & Member Services Committee, chaired by Bernie Fechtel, Fechtel Beverage & Sales Inc., reviewed prior surveys and was able to enhance the 2000 CBS survey by including questions on the types of organization and medical coverage for dependents. Committee member, Randy Christianson of Beverage Wholesalers, played a key role in updating and improving the survey to include statistical data beneficial to all wholesalers.
For the first time, NBWA is offering a Searchable Results option that allows a wholesaler to calculate compensation using only the criteria that he/she selects. The spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel) is menu driven and based on the data collected from this year’s survey. It offers wholesalers the ability to acquire more specific information and calculate compensation results quickly based on a specific position (i.e., Controller), region (i.e., Middle Atlantic), sales volume grouping (i.e., $10 to $20 million) and type of distributor (i.e. All distributors). The results will indicate the average total compensation and number of responses. Study participants may purchase Searchable Results for $50 while non-participants may purchase it for $100.
At the request of its members, NBWA is offering an electronic version (Word ’97) of the CBS. Whether an NBWA member wishes to order an electronic copy or a hard copy, the cost is $175 for a participant and $350 for a non-participant. Those wholesalers who participated in the CBS have already received a free copy of an industry report and an individualized company report.
For more information about the Compensation & Benefits Study, please contact Susan Hilaski, NBWA manager, technology & industry information, at (800) 300-6417, ext. 124, or e-mail shilaski@nbwa.org.
Professional Baseball Team and Beer Industry Team-Up to Promote Responsible Consumption of Beer
The Sacramento River Cats, a Triple-A baseball team new to Sacramento, California, and their malt beverage sponsors, Miller Brewing Company, Labatt USA, Heineken USA and NBWA member and 1999 NBWA Public Affairs Award winner, Mesa Beverage Co. Inc., have developed a responsible drinking campaign to ensure that River Cats fans consume beer responsibly. The program, in partnership with 1-800-TAXI-CAB, began on opening day of this season and will continue throughout the year.
The responsible drinking program will have four core elements.
1) TIPS Training – the partners and the team have taught all River Cats staff who serve licensed beverages how to serve fans responsibly and in moderation.
2) Public address and video messages will be played during each game, reminding fans to drink responsibly.
3) A designated driver kiosk will be available for fans to sign-up to be a designated driver for their party. These designated drivers will have the opportunity to win autographed River Cats memorabilia.
4) A kiosk will be available to ensure a safe ride home to those too intoxicated to drive.
Art Savage, president and CEO of the River Cats said, “We are proud to welcome these fine companies to the River Cats team. All four companies bring a rich tradition with baseball and local community involvement and will contribute to our family environment.”
Patrick Connors, vice president of marketing for Mesa Beverage Co., said, “We look forward to extending our relationship with the team throughout the community and with our retail partners.”
Labor Expert says OSHA’s Ergonomics Regulations are Based on “Junk Science”
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed ergonomics regulations are based on bad science and should be abandoned, argues a new CATO Institute Policy Analysis by labor and employment attorney Bob Scalia. The CATO Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C.
According to the CATO Institute, “The ambitious new workplace ergonomic rules would regulate, among other things, the pace of work, the level of staffing, rest periods, the length of shifts and the design of equipment and facilities.” Scalia says that the field of ergonomics regulation is so fraught with uncertainties about the existence and causes of so-called repetitive motion injuries that OSHA’s regulatory endeavors should be abandoned.
Scalia wrote, “The premise of ergonomic regulation is that physical exertion is hazardous and causes ‘musculoskeletal disorders’ such as carpal tunnel syndrome.” However, there is great medical uncertainty about this; many leading researchers deny that repetitive motion actually causes injury, and doctors can’t identify the point at which exertion becomes a workplace hazard.
The proposed ergonomics regulations, if passed, will cost beer wholesalers alone nearly $1 billion or 30 cents per case.
Scalia is pushing for OSHA to cease its ergonomics regulations, on the grounds that in court, “the agency could not determine what, if anything, was wrong, or how to correct it.” Employers, he advises, “should not be commanded to make scientific determinations that consistently have eluded OSHA.”